Instantly, as the pain clamped his chest with searing intensity, Steve Perryman knew it was serious.

Struggling for breath, he spotted Andy Tilson, one of Exeter City’s coaching staff, four rows in front of him.

The last thing Perryman remembers before his legs gave way was Tilson rushing to fetch the club doctor from the dugout.

Three weeks later, after his evacuation from Exeter’s final game of the season on May 5, he awoke from a coma and began piecing together the flawless response from medical teams who saved his life.

The Grecians had already been relegated to League Two, though by no means disgraced, by the time of that 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.

Following the death of much-loved striker Adam ­Stansfield from cancer two years ago, Exeter were not ready for another instalment of tragedy. But it was close.

Thanks to the National Health Service, the jewel of our welfare state, Perryman beat the odds after a helicopter whisked him to Plymouth for emergency surgery to repair a dissected aorta – the major vessel which supplies oxygenated blood from the heart.

Last week, Tottenham, for whom Perryman made a record 854 ­appearances, were named joint life-savers of the year for their response to Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac ­emergency.

How strange that, seven weeks after Muamba’s heart stopped for 78 minutes a t White Hart Lane, it was one of Spurs’ favourite sons who owed his life to urgent medical attention, swift diagnosis and exemplary care.

Thankfully, Perryman is now back at work to tell the tale, and among VIP guests invited to attend Exeter’s home game with Bristol Rovers today is the surgeon who saved him – who happens to support the Gas.

For a 60-year-old who spent most of May on a life support machine, Perryman looks remarkably well.

It still seems incredible the fresh-faced Tottenham skipper who lifted the FA Cup at Wembley 30 years ago could fall so critically ill in the first place.

“I was lucky enough to spend the summer watching the Euros, Wimbledon, the Open golf and, of course, the Olympics,” he said.

“All those gold medals, all the national euphoria – Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and all that – but nothing made me feel more proud to be British than the NHS.

“It’s easy to be cynical and say we pay our taxes for a health service, but I’ve been in the hands of amazing people. If there’s better treatment, I would love to see it.

Spooky: Tottenham favourite Perryman's collapse came weeks after Muamba almost died AT Spurs (Image: Reuters)

“From the club doctor and ­paramedics who responded the moment I had a problem in the crowd, to the ambulancemen who took me to hospital in Exeter, the helicopter transfer to the ­Derriford in Plymouth, the surgeon and staff who looked after me day and night. These people are real heroes.

“I’ve had angels watching over me, but it’s not all there just for me – these people save lives every day of the week, they make the ­difference between life and death.

“Do we treat them well enough? From personal experience, ­probably not. Do we take them for granted? Absolutely. The NHS is an amazing organisation. Fabrice Muamba and I have a lot in common. We were lucky enough to be taken ill at football matches where there was ­expertise and medical equipment on tap.

“The percentages were against me until I got to hospital. Once in the operating theatre, I always stood a chance – but it was only the people who got me there who gave the surgeon a chance to do the repairs.

“Fortunately, there is no damage to my heart. You could say a major pipe sprang a leak but the boiler still works fine.”

There were complications. Perryman had pneumonia and a collapsed lung. It was almost June before he emerged from a coma and was unhooked from the life- support machine.

He awoke to get-well messages from Spurs legends Jimmy Greaves, Ossie Ardiles and Pat Jennings. Fans from Arsenal and Plymouth sent cards as humanity transcended tribal club rivalries.

Perryman’s wife, Kim, ­confiscated his mobile phone – just in case he was tempted to re-establish contact with the football grapevine too soon – and his recovery was not impaired by catching up on the news that Tottenham had been denied by a miracle in Munich.

“In different circumstances, I’d have been terribly upset about Spurs missing out on the ­Champions League, but those things just went over my head,” he said. “There was so much else to worry about, like obeying doctors’ orders not to lift anything – not even the kettle.

“When someone asked if I was going to watch Chelsea and Manchester City in the Community Shield, I had no enthusiasm for it. Clubs who try to outbid each other with a billion here or five billion there don’t enthral me.

“At Exeter, we may have limitations as a team, but it’s a well-run club with more in common with the game I played at Tottenham. We can look forward to derbies with Plymouth and Torquay this season. The next few years could be very exciting. I know I’ll be in good hands.”